Abortion Laws in South Africa

Is abortion legal in South Africa?

The Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act 1996 allows ALL women in South Africa to terminate pregnancy upon her request if she is within the ﬁrst 12 weeks of pregnancy (gestation). However, an abortion can be performed from the the 13th to 20th week of pregnancy if approved by a medical practitioner under the following conditions:

continuing the pregnancy may be a risk to the mother’s physical or mental health;

the fetus (foetus) may suffer with severe physical or mental abnormalities should the pregnancy continue to full term;

the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest; and/or

continuing the pregnancy may have severe economic or social impact on the mother.

South Africa has a huge problem of unregistered people who sell miscellaneous drugs to women, thereby increasing the rate of women who are hospitalized due to unsafe abortion practices. Women must ensure that they get abortion services from registered providers to be safe.

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If you are in need of medication abortion, you may be able to acquire abortion pills from your doctor or a midwife. If you have any questions or if you wish to purchase pills online, contact the following organization websites who offer abortion pills by mail courier:

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